Instructional Design at Imarticus

January 13, 2014

We, at Imarticus Learning, are in the business of offering top-notch vocational training in the fields of finance, business and analytics. This could include management training for banks, securities and derivatives training and courses with a certification in banking roles. But let’s face it: these subjects can be rather difficult and taxing! How do you engage with and retain the interest of the learner over a period of many months? What makes learning effective?

Domain experts who know the subject-matter are only one half of the equation. The other half is the execution – that is, conveying information in an interesting, relevant and timely manner.

Imarticus Learning has a unique combination of in-house subject matter expertise as well as qualified instructional designers who bring the content to life.

Who are Instructional Designers and what do they do?

Just as graphic designers define and manage the visual strategy, instructional designers control the learning strategy and all the text that you see in any training. They work in the background to make complex content more appealing and digestible.

Why Instructional Design?

The goal is to create memorable learning experiences, which results in more effective and efficient knowledge transfer between teacher and learner.

The process consists broadly of determining the current state and needs of the learner, defining the end goal of instruction, and creating some “intervention” to assist in the transition.

How do you go about creating instructionally-sound training?

The key is to understand the science of learning – that is, how do learners learn? There are many theories but Gagne’s Instructional Theory is the most widely used model.

According to Gagne, learning occurs in a series of learning events. Each learning event must be accomplished before the next, in order for learning to take place. Accordingly, any learning intervention should mirror these nine learning events:

We follow this model at Imarticus Learning, and so can you! Our instructional designers at our centres in Mumbai and elsewhere use these principles to design our courses to coach you for your investment banking careers, including our courses for working professionals.

Got a presentation to deliver to your boss? Keep in mind the above nine points and then structure your presentation accordingly.